David Buskin is the epitome of a classy professional musician.  He’s paid his dues, he’s made forays into the corporate world by writing jingles, he’s played with the greats, and he’s acquired a grand reputation with as part of David Buskin and Batteau (and the inimitable Marshal Rosenberg on percussion)!

Many of David’s songs are poignant and many are hilarious.

To learn more about Buskin and Batteau, visit their website.

Check out this video of one of their classic songs” Heart of the Audience.”

 

This video of David and his daughter, Sophie Buskin, play his beautiful song “When I Need You Most of All.”

Buskin and Batteau (and Marshal Rosenberg) with Sophie will be appearing at the me&thee in Marblehead, MA on Friday, September 20, 2019

David took some time to highlight some fun facts below.

First record you ever purchased:  

78 rpm: “Tutti Frutti” by Little Richard

LP: Harry Belafonte Calypso or The Everly Brothers‘ Best

 

What was the first concert you attended?

Victor Borge in a Broadway Theater

 

First time you performed on stage:

Music school in the Bronx – students’ recital. I was four or five.

 

Favorite recording studio experience:

1) Watching Sophie Buskin singing in a group at age four. The headphones dwarfed her, and she had to sit on a stool to reach the mic, but she was nodding her head in time, and she came in in the right place with the right note.

2) Watching/hearing Mel Tormé take my Burger King jingle way round the bend with a live big band.

2A) Then hearing Take 6 take it to church.

3) Drinking champagne in the control room in Nashville with Danny Fogelberg while Norbert Putnam, who had produced both of our first albums, played alternating cuts from the two records molto fortissimo.

 

Most or least missed part of the way records used to be made:

The collegiality. Many musicians in the same place playing at the same time.

 

Favorite jingles:

1) Robin’s “Heartbeat of America”

2) Robin’s “Unsinkable Taste of Cheerios”

3) Robin’s “Good Times/Great Taste” (McDonalds)

4) Richie Havens’ singing my Amtrak jingle – “All Aboard, America”

5) Jake Holmes’ “Be a Pepper”

6) “Everybody doesn’t like something/ But nobody doesn’t like Sara Lee ” (Don’t know who wrote).

 

Inspirational musicians / songwriters:

Too many to mention.

 

Most memorable shows:

1) I was playing guitar for Mary Travers at Carnegie Hall in the ’70’s, and she had me do a couple of my own songs, and the applause thundered down from above, and my parents were in the audience, and I could see them beaming. I remember thinking at the time, “I’m a Jewish kid from the Bronx, and I’m doing great at CARNEGIE HALL with my parents in the audience. I have nowhere to go but down.”

2) The two nights at Passim in Feb. last year, which were the culmination of Robin’s retraining himself to play after chemo messed up his hands.

3) At NERFA one year we booked the stage in the bar for a Friday night concert. We played a set and also backed up Barbara Kessler, Suzy Vinnick, Kim & Reggie Harris, and Krista Detor. Everything just flowed. Everything I played was better than anything I played before or since. The music gods smile on you sometimes. [Editor’s note: I was there and you also had pastel B&B M&Ms on all the tables…nice touch!]

4) Tom Rush shows at Symphony Hall concert when we got to play with Tom, David Bromberg, Steve Goodman, and Jennifer Warnes, among others

 

Favorite instrument:

Tom Prasada-Rao’s old guitar.  I never heard one sound better.

 

Craziest road trip story (keep it clean!  lol):

Biker rushing the stage during Tom Rush’s set (we were his backup band) at something called “Stompin’ ’79 – outdoor festival in West VA. Said biker was holding two sticks of dynamite above his head. As the security wrestled him down, he was yelling, “It’s okay! I have permission!”

No other clean stories.